Website as Time Machine: The New Loudoun Civil War Online "Experience"

We here at Visit Loudoun recently launched what I think may be the coolest Civil War tourism site around. Of course, I am biased. I work for Visit Loudoun, and was the project leader on it. But log on to CivilWar.VisitLoudoun.org and you'll quickly understand what I'm talking about. It snows! We've animated the four paintings that rotate through on the home page to bring the images to life. Also, be sure to click on the little sound icon in the lower-right hand corner for some cool sound effects too.

But that's not all! It offers an overview of Loudoun’s Civil War past, through stories of the people who lived and fought here, and the places where they fought and fell. Along with articles written by prominent historians and authors, members of the Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, the site offers visitors a state-of-the-art online immersive experience through a series of interactive, high-definition videos and 360-degree views of Civil War sites, both public and private. Visitors can also walk through a timeline of major Civil War events as well as search for current Civil War events happening every week.

So, check out the new site. We think you'll agree its pretty awesome. That's not to say there aren't other great Civil War sites out there, especially in Virginia. Heck, there's one in the county right next door, Fairfax County's http://www.fxva.com/150. And to the south, Richmond, Virginia has a really good one too, http://www.ontorichmond.com. Both offer wonderful information on the war in the Old Dominion - from the stories of battles and places, to the stories of the people who fought and of those who endured the fight.

There is a link at the very top for "Feedback." So tell us what you think! We'd love to know what you think of our new site.

Thanks for Mort Kunstler and Keith Rocco, superb artists of the Civil War, for allowing us to use their work to illustrate Loudoun's Civil War history.